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Ocean Conservation
Ocean Conservation with V&J
Healthy oceans regulate climate and reduce climate change impacts
The oceans that roam our planet are the most crucial ecosystems we have, every life and every organism on earth depends on it. An estimated 97% of the world’s water is found in the ocean. Because of this, the ocean has considerable impact on weather, temperature, and the food supply of humans and other organisms. Despite its size and impact on the lives of every organism on Earth, the ocean remains one of the biggest mysteries in the world. More than 80% of the ocean has never been mapped, explored, or even seen by humans. A far greater percentage of the surfaces of the moon and the planet Mars has been mapped and studied than of our own ocean floor.
Conservation and preservation of our biodiversity stands at the core of our ethos. With every great adventure or family vacation we design and carry out, we make sure local communities and conservation projects benefit from our journeys. With rising sea temperatures and increasing pollution threatening the health of the ocean, there is an urgent need for scientists to access some of the world’s most remote areas. This is where V&J comes in. Through our yacht expeditions segment, we provide a unique opportunity of ocean access, marine research, and global knowledge to enhance the ocean’s prosperity. With the cooperation of the Client, we donate a time frame within the expedition duration to marine scientists and conservation experts to conduct vital research.
There are so many exciting ocean conservation initiatives to be actioned upon around the world, besides donating time during a yacht expedition we also take a percentage from our margins and donate that money to ocean conservation projects we support. Sometimes the client even wants to join us in this donation. Below, we listed a few of the ocean conservation projects we support with our donations.
Sea Shepherd
Sea Shepherd’s work and impact is, for some, still underestimated. As supporters to their global mission, we see it as part of our initiative to educate the importance of their work they do around the globe.
Working under direct supervision, and in complete partnership with governments around the world, Sea Shepherd provides fully equipped vessels, professional crews, fuel, and other tools that enhance their ability to detect and deter Illegal, unreported and unregulated (“IUU”) fishing. In the last five years, they assisted governmental law enforcers as they arrested dozens of vessels, resulting in numerous successful prosecutions. These efforts increased monetary recoveries and reduced subsequent maritime crimes and helped restore fish populations.
The Ocean Cleanup
Plastic pollution in our oceans is the biggest problem we are facing today. Besides ensuring that waste management is fully optimized during our expeditions we support the biggest ocean clean up in the history of the world.
The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organization, that develops and uses technologies to get rid of the world’s oceans of plastic. Believe or not trash already accumulates in five ocean garbage patches, the largest one being the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, located between Hawaii and California. Floating plastics trapped in the patches will keep circulating until they break down into smaller and smaller pieces, becoming harder to clean up and increasingly easier to mistake for food by Sealife. If left to circulate, the plastic will impact our ecosystems, health, and economies for decades or even centuries.
Mission Blue
Led by legendary oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle, Mission Blue inspires action to explore and protect our oceans and all marine life. It is their mission to create public awareness, access, and support for a worldwide network of marine protected areas also known as Hope Spots. For example, not that long ago the President of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, signed an official decree enhancing the marine protected area (“MPA”) around the Galapagos Archipelago in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean. The decree will expand protections by 60.000 square kilometres (23.166 square miles); half of which will be fully protected where no extractive activities are allowed, and the efforts of Mission Blue had a significant impact on this initiative.
Under Dr. Earle’s leadership, the Mission Blue team embarks on many communication campaigns, regular oceanic expeditions that shed light on these vital ecosystems and build support for their protection. The Mission Blue alliance includes more than 200 respected ocean conservation groups and like-minded organizations, from large multinational companies to individual scientific teams doing important research. With the concerted effort and passion of people and organizations around the world, Hope Spots can become a reality and form a global network of marine protected areas large enough to restore the ocean, the blue heart of the planet.
The Great Reef Census
Exploring the unknown is part of every adventurer’s DNA, though very rarely is there an opportunity to discover areas where little is already known by superyacht. At Voyages & Journeys we use every opportunity we have during our yacht adventures to support conservation projects around the world. Did you know almost 40% of the Great Barrier Reef remains entirely unexplored. Encompassing 3.000 individual reefs and home to over 1.600 species of fish that stretch for 2.300km along the sun-drenched Queensland coastline, it’s a unique yachting experience. Due to its sheer size measuring the overall state of the Reef is difficult.
The Great Reef Census is a world-first citizen science project. For ocean conservation, this is a pioneering initiative, aiming to capture investigative data. This is a unique opportunity for superyacht owners and charters to participate in ocean conservation efforts as part of your yacht expedition, you can join marine scientists and gain a deeper insight into the Great Barrier Reef’s diverse ecosystem.
We pride our partnership with Ocean Alliance, where we can create a significant impact and provide support to marine research projects. Superyachts and especially exploration yachts provide highly advanced research capabilities, that make it able to tackle the conservation challenges we face and work towards the vital protection of our blue planet.